Incredible Cardinale!!!

I've always been a fan of Cardinale and I never needed a rating to back up my opinion either. Cardinale is a blend of Cabernet and Merlot and for the 2006 vintage, is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon with the remaining 14% of the cepage being Merlot (all of which is sourced from high atop Howell Mountain.) The Cabernet is sourced from all over Napa Valley : Mount Veeder, Howell Mountain, Oakville, Stags Leap, Spring Mountain, and St. Helena. Christopher Carpenter (winemaker for Cardinale not Chris Carpenter of the Cardinal's although the coincidence is odd...) is passionate about the grapes that go into making this and works closely with vineyard managers in Napa to ensure that all is in harmony.Half of the vineyards or Organically farmed and the other half are Sustainably farmed. The grapes are brought in on tiny yellow bins to be sorted by hand at two stations. The wine sees 100% new French Oak for 19 months. What does this all mean in the resulting wine? Complex layers of finesse and elegance combined with power and structure. From the different vineyards, elements are integrated of black fruit, cassis, smokey notes, violets, cocoa powder and raspberries. The structured ripe tannins marry nicely with the cinnamon, hint of vanilla and clove spices provided by the use of French oak. Parker says give this wine 15-20 years witha 95 point rating and Wine Enthusiast just gave the wine 100 points- a perfect score!!!
I say giddy-up...Once again a phenomenal example of the expertise of blending across regions and the use of the two classically paired Bordeaux varietals.